


Solangelo Comfort One shot

by PaganKeith



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Coming Out, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-16 07:09:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21032258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaganKeith/pseuds/PaganKeith
Summary: Nico has a nightmare about his run-in with Ahkyls (sp?) In Tartarus and seeks comfort from Will.





	Solangelo Comfort One shot

It was Ahkyls' face that followed Nico out of his nightmare and appeared in the smoky shadows.

He gasped and reached for his sword, but by the time he grabbed it and turned around, she was gone, and he was pointing the stygian iron at a table with incense burning on it.

The incense had been a gift from Will—a desperate attempt to help Nico find some semblance of peace while living in a cabin that resembled a giant coffin. While it smelled nice, Nico couldn't help but wonder if the smoke fueled his memories of Tartarus and the smoky haze that rose above the Phlegethon river.

He gripped the hilt of his sword for dear life. While his vision had returned to normal, his heart had not, pounding frantically inside his chest.

He could almost smell the stench of Tartarus, creeping up from between the gaps in the floorboards. Gulping, he forced himself to face the fact that there was no way he was going back to sleep alone.

Lately, he had been confiding in Will about some of his adventures. His time in the bell jar and his journey to Styx with Percy—Will had listened so raptly and hung on every word that Nico had enjoyed talking to him and had felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

He always felt better talking to Will. 

He took another breath and then nodded to himself, kicking out from beneath his covers and getting to his feet.

He could shadow travel to the Apollo Cabin. He could talk to Will. He could get help and maybe, just maybe, be able to scrape a few more hours of sleep together after he calmed down.

Ignoring the sudden flight of butterflies in his stomach,Nico let himself disappear into the shadows.

*

The Apollo Cabin, even at night, held a dim light from the candles and gas lamps that decorated the interior. Shadows danced across the leaves of the Laurel saplings that sat in pots in the corners of the room. A rather large golden lyre sat in the middle of the room, lit by a skylight that filtered in moonlight.

Some of the medicinal herbs that Will carried with him at all times were hanging from the ceiling. The ones that couldn't handle being upside down—like Will's absolute armada of Aloe Vera—were kept on built-in shelves that lined the walls.

"Nico?"

Nico jumped at Will's whisper. He had been so busy taking in his unfamiliar surroundings that he hadn't realized the Healer was standing right behind him.

Will looked exhausted, his shaggy blond hair sticking out at every angle, dark bags under his warm blue eyes. He held a glass of water in one hand and Nico zeroed in on it, mentally marking every scratch on its surface so that he did not have to recognize that Will was wearing a light blue sweater as a night shirt, paired with red boxer briefs.

"Thirsty?" Nico responded hoarsely, unable to think of a normal response.

"Hmm," Will hummed, which Nico figured was supposed to mean "yes."

"Are you doing okay, Death Boy?" Will's voice was deeper than normal.

Maybe this wasn't a great idea.

"It's fine, I shouldn't have come—I'll just jump back to my cabin—" Nico stammered, but Will interrupted him by grabbing his wrist.

"Oh no you don't," Will growled, suddenly sounding half-awake. "I hate it when you jump so often. It takes a lot out of you."

"What would you have me do, then? I can't just walk back—those harpies will shred me to bits."

"You're staying here, of course. Maybe you'll tell me what's wrong instead of running away from me. Who knows?"

Nico sighed before nodding in resignation.

"I did come here to talk to you," he murmured. "I had a nightmare."

Will groaned sympathetically.

"Prophetic or just normal?" The healer inquired.

"It was a memory," Nico whispered.

Will's face softened and the grip on Nico's wrist slackened. Nico thought Will was going to let go completely, but instead he let his hand slide down to hold Nico's, who tried his best to not immediately pull away out of instinct.

Instead, he took a deep breath and laced their fingers together.

"Will," Nico said softly. "It's about Tartarus."

Apparently, any discussion of Tartarus had to happen on the cabin's balcony, so they could see the world around them and remind themselves of where they were.

That was Will's reasoning, anyways, and Nico was secretly glad, though he was starting to wonder if Will could read his mind.

"I met a goddess while I was down there. Akhyls, the goddess of misery. Do you know her?"

Will raised an eyebrow and Nico laughed nervously.

"No, right, you wouldn't. Sorry."

He took a deep breath before telling Will how she had wept for him, telling him he was a perfect mess of chaotic angst, and that she could add nothing to him.

Will sucked in a breath.

"I feel like...I don't know, I guess I always knew things were bad, but I didn't know it was that bad, you know? I know I've been through some things—we all have. But honestly, when she was talking to me, I thought, she's either talking about Bianca or me struggling with being g—"

Nico stopped himself, his eyes wide. He slapped a hand over his mouth as if to physically stop the word from coming out, but judging by the look on Will's face, the healer had already surmised what Nico was about to say.

Nico leapt to his feet, his face burning with shame. Harpies be damned, he was heading back to his cabin right this instant—

"I had a crush on this guy once. His dad was my mom's producer," Will said nonchalantly, picking at a loose thread on his sweater.

Nico felt he had to have misheard, but he found himself sinking back down next to Will, who was regarding the thread like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

"What was his name?" Nico asked hoarsely.

"Rodney. He had the cutest dimples and the most amazing laugh, but he wasn't interested in guys, so my crush just stayed a crush until my mom found out."

Will raised the string to the moonlight, squinting at it slightly. Nico watched him with bated breath.

He still didn't know if Will wanted him to leave and never talk to him again, but he at least felt that Solace wasn't disgusted.

Will understood. That had to mean something, right?

"There's a reason I stay here year round," Will said harshly. "I mean, Dad is bisexual, so you'd think someone who knew that and loved him could love her son for being the same way, but…" he shrugged sadly. 

"When I came back to camp, I was a wreck. Mom had dropped me off and told me that she hoped my time here would 'get my head on straight'. She expected me to lock myself back in the closet for the sake of her personal comfort and I... couldn't do it. So I just haven't gone back home."

Will was silent for a moment, drawing his knees against his chest.

"I miss my dog," he whispered and Nico was horrified to see the tears falling down the healer's cheeks.

"Will," he murmured and he didn't think twice before wrapping an arm around Will's shoulders and pulling him against his side.

"My point," Will muttered, letting his head fall into Nico's shoulder, "is that I'm never going to do to you what my mom did to me. Even though I miss my dog and my old house, I wouldn't go back to being hidden and neither should you— at least, not around me. I can't speak for the other demigods, but I-I think it's good you're gay. Maybe I even think it's great, you don't know."

Nico snorted a little at his tone, before laying his head gently against Will's.

"Akhyls is a bitch," Will said and Nico let out a surprised shout of laughter. "She probably told you that just to make you even more miserable. You should not make it a habit of trusting the goddess of doom and gloom."

"Sound advice," Nico hummed, amused, "from the guy currently pairing a winter sweater with boxers."

"I cannot believe your first act after coming out is to judge my outfit."

"Actually, my first act was holding y—you know what? Fine. I shouldn't judge your sleepwear," Nico huffed.

Will took a few deep breaths. Nico wondered briefly if he had fallen asleep.

"You're right though, the first thing you did was hold me," Will whispered, almost to himself, as his tanned cheeks burned red.

The blush caught Nico off-guard, but he said nothing. His eyelids were beginning to droop of their own accord, and Will was so nice and warm next to him…

"Thanks for talking to me, Will," Nico whispered. "I think I could sleep now."

"Fall asleep like this and you'll get a crick in your neck," Will threatened, before yawning widely and nestling more securely into Nico.

It was Kayla who found them the next morning, fast asleep, the rising sun warming their faces.


End file.
